Pen



Patented June 30, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates generally to pens, and more particularly to a novel and improved pen of the fountain type.

The present invention relates to a pen structure as disclosed in a patent issued. to me on January 1, 1935, bearing No. 1,986,394, and includes some additional improvements in said structure, which improvements should greatly enhance the practicability and usefulness of the pen.

An object of the present invention is to provide in a pen of the character described novel and improved means for permitting the escape of air which collects in the barrel above the piston.

Another object of this invention resides in novel and improved means for closing said air escape openings during use of the pen, said closing means being in the form of a cap which will conceal and house the operating mechanism employed for filling the pen.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a pen of the character described novel and improved means for positively limiting movement of the reciprocating plunger in both of its extreme end positions.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a pen of the character described which will be simple in construction comprising only a few parts which may be readily assembled in operative position and which may be produced along lines for low cost manufacture, while at the same time being highly efficient for carrying out the purposes for which it is designed.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of my invention, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawing, a preferred embodiment thereof, from an inspection of which when considered in connection with the following description, my invention, its mode of construction, assembly and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.

Referring to the drawing in which the same characters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding or similar parts throughout the several figures of the drawing:

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view through a pen embodying my invention;

I Fig. 2 is a plan view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 66 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 1-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing more specifically by characters of reference, the numeral l designates generally a barrel, the hollow interior of which provides an ink reservoir II. This reservoir is cylindrical in shape and is adapted for receiving and holding a supply of ink or other writing fluid and has disposed therein a plunger or piston which is adapted for reciprocatory movement therein.

The lower end of the barrel I0 is internally threaded, as shown at [2, within which is threaded a pen section l3 within which is adapted to be disposed my improved feeder, generally designated by the reference character 14, the construction of which is to be presently more fully described.

The pen section I3 is provided intermediate its ends with an annular shoulder upon which is adapted to be disposed a suitable washer l6 made of any suitable resilient material and against which the lowermost edge of the barrel I0 is adapted to press to thereby securely seal the joint between the barrel and the end section against the escape of ink.

Disposed within the barrel I0 is a helical or screw member I! which is provided with a relatively steep pitch, said member being provided with a reduced portion 18 at one end thereof, which reduced portion is adapted to be received in a central opening [9 provided in the pen section I3, whereby said member I! will be swiveled within said opening l9, said opening forming a hearing for said member to permit rotary movement thereof. The member 11 extends centrally within said barrel l0 and is adapted for rotary movement therein, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

The member I! has mounted thereon a piston or plunger generally designated by the reference character 20, said plunger consisting of a cylindrical member 2|, the interior of which is hollow and may be filled with a resilient material 22 which will snugly encase the member I! to prevent the passage of ink past the piston or plunger 20. In the end walls of the member 2! are provided suitable rectangular slots 23, as shown in Fig. 5, said slots being of a size and shape to permit the passage therethrough of the screw threads provided on the member [1.

The member 2| is provided with laterally ex- 7 material such as 'cork, or the'like.

reservoir I l. 7 the fact that the body of the piston ring 26'istending annular flanges 24 and 25 between which is disposed the piston ring 26 formed of resilient The laterally extending annular flanges 24 and 25 form opposed end abutmentsfor the sleeve-like body or piston ring 26 whichresist the tendency oi said ring to increase in length due to rotary com-' pression thereof when inserted in the cylinderolf By reason of this, and by reason of made of resilient material, the piston will, fit snugly within the cylinder and thereby seal the same to prevent the passage ofi-ink past the piston while permitting of the reciprocation of the pis ton within the pen barrel.

Rigidlysecuredtothe top-andabottom end walls of the cylindrical member 2| are upstanding pro- .jections or'teeth .21 and'ZB, respectively, for'the purpose to be presently more fully described. Although, .in'the embodiment illustrated. there are shown two such projections or teeth'for each of theendzmembers, it is .tobe understood that only one of said projections may besufficientfor each of saidend members- 1 V In the upper end of the barrel. I0 is rigidly and permanently secured a member 29,, saidgmemberbe'ing provided on the outer periphery there- .of with a;pair1of diametrically opposed longitudinal groovesfll, said grooves .being provided in the enlarged lower portion .of the member 29, said enlarged portionterminating in a shoulder 3!, whichshoulder is flush with the topmost edge of the bar-rel 10. The member 29 is provided also 7 with. an intermediate reduced portion .32 which is externally threaded for receiving in threaded "relation the hollow cap 33, said hollow cap when in closed position, as shownin Fig. 1, will be. effectivegfor, closing the passages 3D'thereby preventing the escape .ofink through the same should [any -ink escape past the piston or plunger 20.

.material, Thesaid'nuts'ifi and 36 will form a 7 bearing for'the upper cyli'ndricalend of the memjberfll ,T and theresilient washer '31. will form a fur:

ther-seal against; the passage of ink should any inkescane past" the piston or plunger 20. Both .ofthe-washers 3.5 and 3.6. are provided on'their upper faces with; the transverse grooves :fihownin. dotted lines iniFig. 4, by means of' which with the use of .a proper tool, .said' washers may be assembledand: disassembled with the mem- The upper end of the member IT projects beyond the'nut 3.6;as shown in Fig. 1','said upper endbeing bifurcated, as shown at '39', and is adapted toreceive=between its bifurcations the.

rectangularhead 4B of a member .4-l upon which is loosely mounted for rotation a member 42, said member 42' being provided with a depending externally threaded reduced portion 43. which is 'threadedin'the openupper endof the member 29. The memberM extends beyond said member 42 andhas its free end; permanently secured toa hollow cap 44 said cap extending downwardly over the member and the reduced portion 34 of the member 29 and is adapted for rotation relative to saidrmembers.

When in' assembled position it will be readily noted that the rotation of this cap 44 will rotate the rectangular head 40 which in turn will impart rotary movement to the member H. .Thiscap, therefore, will form the operating mechanism'for actuating the member I! when it is desired to fill or empty the pen. r

In order'to facilitate the turning of the cap member 44, the same may be provided with a knurled exterior. surface, as shown at 45. The member 42 is provided with the depressions 46, shown ingFig. l, which may be reached by a suitable tool through the openings 41 extending through the top of the cap-member when it is desired to assemble or disassemble the. member 42 from the member 29. The cap33 which is threaded on the member 29 is of a size'to completelylenclose the'cap 44;and' whenin thefully closed position, as'shown in Fig. 1, the cap 33 will, as already stated, completely close the openings'30 thereby preventing the escape of ink through saidopenings shouldanyinkescape past the piston or plunger 20. The cap 33+is also of such a. size as to form a substantially continuous uninterrupted outer surface with the barrel [0 7 when in assembled position thereby adding to the attractive appearance of'the pen.

As already stated, the screw member IT is swivelly mounted at its lower end in the pen section l3, the reduced end I8 on said screw' member 7 providing an annular shoulder which takes the end thrusts imparted to the end member in'one is taken bythe threadedshankof the member 4|.

In order to prevent movement of the plunger or piston 20when it has reached the, end of its stroke in either direction, I provide positive locking means which are in the form of cam 'surfaces. provided on the'bo ttom edge of the end section 29 for limiting the rotary movement of -theplunger 20 in one'direction andsiinilar cam surfaces on the upper edge of the pen section I 3" for limiting-the rotary movementof saidpiston or plunger in the other direction. Thusin the embodiment illustrated, the lower edge of the member 29 is provided, as shown in Fig. 1, with the cam surfaces 48, which surfaces willengage the projections or teeth 21 when the piston is in its Y eifective for definitely and positively calling the attention of the operator to the fact that the piston has reached the end of its stroke-and that the screw actuating means should not be operated any further. Unless this means is provided, there is a possibility of the screw being turned to such .an extent-as to damage the piston. The means provided herein should be very effective for preventing such damage to the mechanism.

A further feature of this improved pen resides in the improved construction of feeder, which is generally designated by the reference character M.

which is in communication with the reservoir by means of the openings 5 l extending thr ugh 715 1 In the embodiment illustrated, the feeder M has a central chamber 50, the upper end of the top wall of the pen section I3. As shown in Fig. 1, the top of said chamber 50 is flared out at its outer edge, as shown at 52, so that the uppermost edge of said feeder will be relatively thin thereby preventing the obstruction of any of the passages 5| for the passage of ink into the chamber 59. The feeder I4 is provided with the longitudinally disposed groove 53 extending on the outside thereof, which groove is in communication with the central chamber 50 through a plurality of transverse openings 54. The pen point 55 is disposed around the feeder directly above the longitudinal groove 53 provided therein. This construction of feeder I have found permits a free flow of ink to the pen point and also prevents the clogging of the same.

To complete the pen structure I provide a suitable cap 56 which is threaded to the lower end of the barrel I0, said cap enclosing the feeder I4 when the latter is not in use.

When the pen is completely assembled, as shown in Fig. 1, and it is desired to fill the same, the cap 33 may be removed and the knurled cap 44 rotated to impart rotary movement to the screw member II, which member is held against longitudinal movement. The rotary movement of the member I! will in turn impart reciprocatory movement to the piston or plunger 20 causing the same to move up or down depending upon the direction of rotation.

When the pen is being filled, the upward movement of the piston 20 will force the air beyond the piston out through the passages 30, thereby preventing the formation of an air trap in the upper portion of the barrel of the pen. When the pen has been completely filled, the projections or teeth 2'! on the plunger will engage the cam surfaces is thereby immediately indicating to the operator that the piston or plunger has reached the end of its upward stroke. Similarly when all of the ink has been expelled from the pen, the projection 28 will engage the cam surfaces 49 indicating to the operator the end of the downward stroke. When the pen has been completely filled, the cap 33 is again screwed into place, in which position it will completely close the air escape openings 30 at the same time concealing from view the screw operating cap 44.

The novel features of construction and the combination and arrangement of the parts of my improved pen result in an article having many practical commercial uses. It will be readily apparent that the structure may be quickly and economically manufactured, and by reason of the small number of parts may be readily assembled in a minimum of time by practically unskilled labor. The construction of the several parts is such that the same will be durable and vwlll not readily get out of operative order in use. Furthermore, the several parts are so constructed and assembled within the barrel of the pen that the ink capacity of the same is materially increased over that of pens heretofore used, and particularly over that of pens of corresponding size employing the conventional compressible rubber sack.

It is believed that my invention, its mode of construction and assembly, and many of its advantages should be readily understood from the foregoing without further description, and it should also be manifest that while a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described for illustrative purposes, the structural details are nevertheless capable of wide variation within the purview of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a fountain pen of the character described, the combination of a barrel, a piston therein fixed against rotation but moving longitudinally, a spiral shaft passing through said piston, a plug in each end of said barrel, and means provided on the interior end of each of said plugs cooperating with means provided on said piston for positively limiting movement of said piston at the extreme ends of its stroke.

2. In a fountain pen of the character described, the combination of a barrel, a piston therein fixed against rotation but moving longitudinally, a spiral shaft passing through said piston, a plug disposed in each end of the barrel and forming bearings for the ends of said spiral shaft, cam surfaces provided on the interior face of each of said plugs, means provided on the piston at each end thereof for co-operation with said cam surfaces to positively lock said piston against rotary movement at both ends of its stroke.

3. In a fountain pen of the character described, the combination of a barrel, a piston mounted in said barrel and fixed against rotation but moving longitudinally, a spiral shaft passing through said piston, a plug forming a bearing for one end of said spiral shaft disposed in the upper end of said barrel, said plug having an enlarged lower portion adapted for engagement within the free upper end of said barrel, a longitudinal groove provided on the periphery of said enlarged position of said plug adapted for forming an outlet to the atmosphere from said barrel when the plug is in assembled position within said barrel, a reduced threaded portion provided on said plug immediately adjacent said enlarged lower portion, means carried by said plug for actuating said shaft, and a cap engaging the threaded reduced portion of said plug for enclosing the shaft actuating means and for closing the air outlet when said cap is in assembled position with said barrel.

4. In a fountain pen of the character described, the combination of a barrel, a piston therein fixed against rotation but moving longitudinally, a spiral shaft passing through said piston, a plug disposed in each end of said barrel forming a bearing for each end of said shaft, the plug disposed in the upper end of said barrel having an enlarged lower portion for engaging with the free end of said barrel, said enlarged portion having a pair of diametrically opposed longitudinal grooves arranged on the periphery thereof forming outlets to the atmosphere when said plug is in assembled position with said barrel, means carried by said upper plug for actuating said shaft, including a knurled cap free to rotate on said upper plug and having a driving connection with said spiral shaft, a reduced portion provided on said plug immediately adjacent the enlarged lower portion, and a cap for engaging said reduced threaded portion on said upper plug, said cap being adapted for enclosing said shaft actuating means and being effective when in as sembled position for completely closing said air outlets.

PIETRO GULIZIA. 

